Message from Nacho Sánchez Amor, S&D spokesperson in the European Parliament’s committee on foreign affairs:
“We are deeply concerned by the detention of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul, yet another alarming example of the authoritarian overreach of the current Turkish authorities. Just days before İmamoğlu was expected to be nominated as the main opposition candidate for the presidency, a full-scale campaign has been launched against him on multiple fronts.
All this is happening in an increasingly repressive environment designed to suppress opposition and silence critical voices in Türkiye through a complex web of repressive laws and the political instrumentalisation of the judiciary. Despite some recent positive steps in other areas, it is evident that President Erdoğan’s government remains fully committed to an authoritarian model at the expense of the rule of law and basic freedoms, brazenly using state institutions to further its own political agenda.”
Read the full statement here.
Up next:
Our teams and MEPs are already busy preparing the upcoming Plenary session, scheduled for 31 March - 3 April in Strasbourg. Follow the updated agenda here.
Upcoming events:
As journalists face growing threats, disinformation spreads unchecked, and foreign interference undermines democracy, the EU must act.
To protect press freedom, robust anti-SLAPP measures and the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) are essential. To counter mis- and disinformation, we must strengthen media literacy. To this end, on Wednesday, 26 March, at 15:00, we’re hosting a public seminar on media freedom and resilience:
🔴 Panel 1: The Imperative of Media Freedom in Europe: Protecting Journalists through the Anti-SLAPP Directive and the EMFA
🔴 Panel 2: Challenges for Youth in the Age of Online Disinformation and Foreign Interference
S&D coordinator in the committee on culture Hannes Heide and MEP Sandro Ruotolo will host the event, with keynote speeches by S&D leader Iratxe García and Vice-President Ana Catarina Mendes.
Join us! Register here to join us in the European Parliament or follow the discussions live here.
We will not back down on workers' rights! The EU law on adequate minimum wages, adopted in October 2022, was a historic achievement, with a significant impact on wages in several member states. However, on 14 January 2025, the Advocate General of the EU Court recommended annulling the law.
If the Court follows this recommendation, it would deal a major blow to European workers and social Europe, with potentially dangerous spill-over effects on other legislative projects.
Join our event on Thursday, 27 March, bringing together legal experts, civil society representatives and members of the S&D Group to discuss the Advocate General’s recommendation.
The symposium will also serve as an opportunity to raise public awareness of the political risks that an annulment of this law would entail.
Please register here to attend the event in person or follow the live streaming here.
And as always don’t forget to stay updated on all our initiatives and reactions on Facebook, Bluesky, X, Instagram, Telegram, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and TikTok!
